After ending his visit to China, Macron said that during his stay in China, he reminded the Chinese side that if China does not take measures to reduce its huge trade surplus with the EU, the EU "will be forced to take strong measures in the coming months," including adopting tariff policies similar to those of the United States. According to the French newspaper Les Echos, the EU's trade deficit with China exceeded 300 billion euros (about 350 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024. The 27 EU member states cannot independently formulate trade policies, including tariffs, but are represented by the European Commission as a whole. Macron acknowledged that it is not easy to reach consensus across the entire EU on the issue of tariffs on China, and Germany, which has a strong business presence in China, "has not yet fully aligned with our position." He also said that U.S. protectionism has worsened the EU's situation because China is redirecting a large number of products that were originally destined for the United States to Europe, putting Europe in the middle. During his visit to China, he said the EU needs to accept more Chinese direct investment as part of efforts to reduce the trade deficit.
First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, visited a giant panda breeding base in Chengdu on Friday and met a giant panda born in France, whom she is the godmother of. China and France have signed an agreement to extend their cooperation in giant panda conservation for another ten years. According to the new ten-year agreement, a new pair of giant pandas will be sent to the Beauval Zoo in France in 2027. The agreement reaffirms the role of "giant panda diplomacy" in Sino-French relations.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1850914001970251/
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